Fee to be levied on outside vehicles entering Manikaran

Funds needed to protect environment

— The DC said that Kasol and Manikaran in Parbati valley witness heavy tourist influx.

— The visitors litter near rivers and streams, which poses a big threat to the environment. The beauty of the area is getting marred due to accumulation of garbage.

— There was an urgent need for proper disposal of solid and liquid waste in Kasol and Manikaran.

— This would be possible only by raising funds by imposing a suitable fee.

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, JULY 16

Kullu DC Ashutosh Garg said that ‘SADA development fee’ will be levied from vehicles coming from outside states in Manikaran valley.

Presiding over a meeting of Special Area Development Authority (SADA) today he said that there was a need to create and develop infrastructure in Kasol and Manikaran areas to facilitate tourists. He said that to generate funds for this purpose, all the members have unanimously decided that ‘SADA development fee’ will be levied for the creation of basic facilities in the area from vehicles coming from outside states. He said that this fee would not be collected from the vehicles of Himachal Pradesh.

The DC said that famous tourist destinations of Kasol and Manikaran in the beautiful Parbati valley witness heavy tourist influx. Infrastructure at these places would be improved for the convenience of tourists and efforts would be made to protect the environment and ecology of these areas.

It was decided to prepare a comprehensive strategy to deal with the problem of damage to the ecology due to the increasing pressure of vehicles and tourists in these environmentally fragile areas, he said. Garg said that the amount of fee would be decided soon and a suitable place would be selected for setting up a barrier for fee collection.

He said that visitors litter near rivers and streams, which poses a big threat to the environment. The beauty of the area is getting marred due to accumulation of garbage. This also poses a serious health hazard. He said there was an urgent need for proper disposal of solid and liquid waste in Kasol and Manikaran for which it was necessary to raise funds.

The officer said that waste disposal plants would be set up in key areas of Parbati valley. Basic facilities will be provided for the tourists. A structure of management would be developed so that it leaves a good image of the state on the tourists visiting from the country and abroad. All this would be possible only by raising funds by imposing a suitable fee on outstation vehicles.

These funds would be used for overall development of Kasol and Manikaran. The work of protecting the environment of these areas would be undertaken, which is the need of the hour, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said that detailed guidelines regarding the of ‘SADA development fee’ would be issued separately. The SADA has vested powers to levy development fee for the development of a particular area and it under the Municipal Act, 1994 and under this that the decision has been taken to levy ‘SADA development fee’.